Electrical apparatus



Oct. 20, 1931. CREMER 1,828,645

I ELECTRICAL APPARATUS Filed Aug. 2, 1927 Inventor: Michel Cr'emer,

b LA His'Attovneg.

I u, gMIQHEL- -CREMER, or Pants,

Patent'ed Oct. 20, 193i 4 is r i t ste} aaaea ms im sf a ndatio knee? aw; 1927, sci-m1 My; invention I relates to electrical appara tus, such as aivapor electric device provided with air-electrode ofliquid' metali 'andhas for its principal objectithe provision 1 of an ima provedconstruction which greatly facilitates apparatus.

-' The invention will be described 'as rapplied i 1 It is known that mercury arc vrectifiersica' pable of transmitting large currents 1 com prise considerable quantities of: mercury. which" render their transportation; difficult, especially ifthey are; provided with an evacu ated receptacle of glass: Another? diificultyi encountered in connection with mercury'arc.

- rectifiers isthe provision "of film satisfactory are is effected; a a My invention will be -better understood from the following description ;when consid' ered' in [connection with the accompanying drawings and'its scope Wlll be polnted out n the appended claims. I

Referring to the drawings,'Fig. 1 relates to a mercury arc rectifier provided with means for moving the level ofthe mercury cathode With respect to the other electrodes of the apparatus; Figs. 2 to 5 show a modified arrangement wherebyjthe same resultis effected;and Figs. 6 and 7 relate toa further. modification in the means for controlling the level of the mercury cathode.

thodic lead 1 sealed into the lower part of the rectifier 2 shown in Fig. l'is a tube'prefer- Y soitube there is locateda reservoirBfilled in the transportation and operationfot such and simple means for; starting the are through which the current of'the rectifier is transmit ted? In? accordance'w-ith my invention, these diificulties are avoided: by thei'provisio'li of means for with'drawing'theliquidmetal ele-ctrode: from: the evacuated: receptacle. during transportation'sandr-forr moving the liquidmetal elect-rode so as tocomplete ,and i'ntersr upt a: circuit whereby starting "ofszthe -maina l i during its transportation. During the man;- 9 1a ufacture-the bulb 2, represented-in part-tin In accordance with the invention, the ca eie,is4',1a1idientra ce Deeeniper31),1926";

part-with m'ercurv,- so thatthe whole retire: I

vsents a: device similar to a barometer. Ifthe- V i cock-4 is open,thc height hof-theimercury a column is evidentlyequaltoaboutfifidmmv 1' but I can; reduce the required length of the tube-'l'by establishing a partial vacuumin'the interiorv of the reservoir 3.

The level of the mercury iilv started'by increasing-the p ressur'e-inth'ei v ulterior of the reservo r 3 untilthemercury comes-into contact withanignition'anode It then suffices to reestablish the original' pressure to eifect thebreakingfof the "current and to establish :the' lighting" arc. Various g5;

means which 'inaybe employed to vary *the ievel of the mercury cathode willbe describedi hereinafter;

the pressure in the reservoir?is'*dei p I I: creased until all the-mercury hasbeendrawn .7 1,

into the tubel and the columno-f'rrlercu y is equal to" 7L1 for example; the cock hnay be closed. and the rectifier'can be transported 7 without dangerto its fragileparts. A fter i v the final installation; the normal column of m'er'cury-is reestablished by 'openingthe valve 4.

I can employ another =method to complete evacuate the? mercury from" thefirectifier hated;l -lower'the, reservoirfd'in'such ama'n nerv thatthemercuryin thektiibefl isr-below the level wn; see'Fig. At thisfmoment the tube-is sealediblbw this levelas isshown" are in Fig; 4;, andthe rectifierno longer con-- tains mercury. It can" then be transported V and in stalled; after which "it'stifiices to plunge the extremity ofthe' :t u'be 1 int'o' a reservoir 3 similar tothat of Fig. land tobreal the 952-; point'of thefseal; a

"The variations in pressure; in the reservoir! 3ican be obtainedbyanyzsuita'ble device; I: I

can for example employ for this purposea cylinderwithraamovable pistolriaetuatedfby 11W; 7 i

. eingthus's'uit; ably re ulated, th ifiBriS read; J v u an electromagnet which is fed when desire to efiect starting of the arc; in place of a piston, I can use the arrangement shown in. Fig. 5, in which I use a short metal tube 1 connected to a tight reservoir 3 in the interior otwhich the partial vacuum is regulated. by the movable reservoir 7 connected to the reservoir 3 by the intermedium of a fiex ible tube 8'. It goes without saying that the reservoir 3 can be omitted andthat the flexible tube 8 can be directly arranged on tubel.

Fig. 6 relates to an improved arrangement based on the use of an elastic corrugated bel-f lows9. These bellows, known on the market under the name of sylph'on bellows and formed of a suitable metal, capable of standa ing highinterior and exterior pressures, are

' the regulationot the level of the mercury in the interior of the rectifier.

absolutely tight, being made of one piece w'ithout jointsand soldering. and are very elastic in the longitudinal direction.

In Fig. 6 the plate 10 represents the sup- }port of the rectifier connectedto its bulb 2 y a metal tube 1, of copper for sample, sealed into the glass; the bulb itself supportedby thefeht 11. The flexible bellows 9 havingseveral circuar corrugations is filled with mercury, as 1s also the tube 1 and the .lower part of the vessel.

,The support 12 fixedat a certain distance from the plate 10 carries a coil 13 acting on its core 14, which being attracted can compress the bellows 9. and produce in this manner Inorder'to produce the lighting of the l are the coil 13 is energized; the core 1st rises and pushes back the mercury through the tubel until it arrives in contact with the lightingjelectrode 15. ,T he coil 13 is then doenergize 'l and the bellows 9 cxpandsthus lighting the are between the cathode 16 and the anodes 17. It goes without saying that the mechanical control and the arrangement ofthe parts can be made altogether diilerent- 1y. To transport the rectifier, it. sullices to lengthen the bellows 9 so as to suck in all feared.

the mercuryby the tube 1. This can be obtamedv for example bymeans of the nutscrcw 18 which is screwedon the rod 19 until it bears against the support 12 andby drawing the rod l9;do wnwardly. This is clearly-illustrated in 7. In this manner I cause the lowering of the level of the mercury untilit is preferably located in theinterior of tube 1 the section of which is relatively small. ;Undor these conditions the oscillations of the mercury due to shocks in the course of the transportation are not-to be It is to be noted that thecorrugations ot the bellows 9 :r'epresentsmall wings capable of notably activating the cooling of the cath- I i i In place of controlling the mercury level by the intermedium of the hollow cathode conductor, loan, it is well understood, use a special tube establishing a connection with the auxiliary reservoir.

On the other hand, instead of applying the invention to rectifiers of glass, I can-use the arrangements described above, or their modifications, in rectifiers or similar devices having a metallic container.

What I claim-as newand desireto secureby Letters Patent of'the United States is:

1. An electrical device comprising an evacuated vessel, a solid electrode mounted within 7 said vessel, a hollow electrically conductive member, an elastic receptacle connected with said vessel by'means ofsaid hollow electrically conductive member, a liquid electrode extending between said vessel and said receptacle, means for applying. to a wall of said vessel a pressure which may be varied to control the spacing between said electrodes, and means for locking said elastic receptacle in such a position that said liquid electrode is withdrawn from said vessel.

2. An electricaldevice comprising an evacuated vessel, a solid electrode mounted within said vessel, an elastic receptacle connected sel and said'bellows through said tubular member, aportion of said liquid electrode ly-- ing within said vessel during operation of said device, and means operative to lengthen said bellows to withdraw said portion of said liquid electrode from said Vessel.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 11th day of July, 1927.

MICHEL REMERQ 

